The present invention relates to an innovative roofing tile, a roof and a method for using the roofing tile in roofing a building, and more in particular to roofing tiles configured to direct precipitation to drain through the roofing tiles themselves.
Houses and other buildings are covered with roofs. One of the purposes of a roof is to direct precipitation away from the building of which the roof is part. In more primitive buildings or buildings in arid areas the roof simply shunts the precipitation onto the surrounding ground. More often, gutters (eave troughs) are placed around the peripheral edge of a pitched roof of a building. Precipitation falling on the roof rolls down the roof to the roof edge where it falls into a gutter. The gutter drains the water away to a specific location such as the local sewer system, a water reservoir or a nearby body of water. If not drained away, the accumulation of water around the base of a building can damage the building. Further, if the water is not drained away there is the inconvenience of having to access the building by wading.
The first disadvantage of gutters is that of esthetics. Gutters and the associated downspouts are an undesired visual addition to a building.
The second disadvantage is that gutters are usually fragile, yet are exposed to the elements, leading to high gutter wear.
In the winter, water in the gutter often freezes, damaging or destroying the gutter. Snow or debris that accumulates in and on the gutter or alternatively, icicles that hang from gutters can be of such weight that the gutters collapse or are bent out of shape.
During dry seasons, birds often nest in a gutter, forming an obstruction that prevents the normal flow of water. The result is overflow from the gutter during the rainy season. If the nest is transported to the drainage system, the drainage system is obstructed. Foreign objects such as a tennis ball or old sneakers may find their way into a gutter. Debris such as twigs, and especially the leaves of deciduous trees, falls in the gutter. If the gutter is not frequently cleaned, gutter overflow and obstruction is a serious problem. Small amounts of water lead to rotting of organic matter trapped in gutters, forming a foul smelling and dirty layer that is difficult and unpleasant to clean.
One solution for improving the appearance of a building is that removing the usual gutters and installing hidden gutters 10 in poured concrete buildings 12, FIG. 1. Downspouts and drains are integrated inside the walls or columns of the building. Hidden gutters 10 themselves are integrated behind fascia 14. Such hidden gutters have two primary disadvantages. First, fascia 14 partially obstructs the view of tiled roof 16, an esthetically undesirable result. Second, although massive and less prone to damage then standard gutters, poured concrete gutters are just as prone to obstruction by debris and foreign objects. A partial solution to overcome the esthetic disadvantage of hidden gutters is the addition of a course 18 of roofing tiles to the gutter limb, FIG. 2.
In the prior art, methods to prevent the entry of debris and solid objects into gutters have been described. A person may lay chicken wire or such over an exposed gutter. Although such an ad hoc solution prevents entry of large objects such as tennis balls, debris such as leaves and twigs are often trapped by the chicken wire which is then difficult to clean. Beyond being easily damaged, such solutions are exceptionally unesthetic.
Improvements of the “chicken wire method” are taught by U.S. Pat. No. 6,282,845, U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,020, U.S. Pat. No. 6,151,837 and others. In general, a device is provided to fit over existing gutter systems to prevent the entry of debris into the gutters.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,010,577 teaches of a system to replace a gutter system. Arrayed around the periphery of the roof of a building is an air duct with apertures. Water that arrives in the proximity of the apertures is blown away from the roof.
In order to prevent the problem of water freezing inside gutter downspouts, U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,147 teaches of a metal downspout that runs downwards inside the wall of a building and of a thermally insulated shroud to envelop any exposed portion of the downspout.
There is no roof drainage system described in the art that does not negatively influence the appearance of a building yet is robust, requires little maintenance and is not affected by obstructions or freezing.